Greece and Cyprus will go head to head at the Panthessaliko Stadio in Volos for their UEFA Nations League encounter in League C Group 2 on Thursday night.

The hosts have only lost one of their last six home games in the Nations League, while the visitors have failed to win on the road in seven attempts since the competition began four years ago.

Match preview

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Since his appointment as head coach in March, Gus Poyet has made a positive start to life in charge of Greece, winning three of his first four matches including his opening two Nations League games away against Northern Ireland and Kosovo.

A slender 1-0 win at Windsor Park was followed by victory by the same scoreline against nine-man Kosovo on Sunday, with midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas on the scoresheet in both fixtures.

Greece have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last six Nations League matches and are unbeaten in each of their last eight games in the competition.

The Euro 2004 winners now sit top of League C Group 2, five points clear of Thursday's opponents Cyprus at the foot of the table.

The Galanolefki head into their clash in Volos having won each of their last five meetings against Cyprus, scoring at least twice on each occasion, so they will be confident of further success against their Mediterranean neighbours.

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Cyprus have endured a frustrating start to their Nations League campaign as a 2-0 home defeat against Kosovo was followed by a goalless draw away against Northern Ireland on Sunday.

Greek-born boss Nikos Kostenoglou has now seen his side win only two of their last 16 matches across all competitions since he took charge in February last year, and they have found the net on just four of those occasions.

Cyprus knew that their League C Group 2 campaign would be challenging, but their biggest test will come on Thursday as they face a Greece side whom they have beaten only once in eight attempts – a 2-1 friendly victory back in November 2001.

Considering Cyprus have also failed to win any of their last 13 away matches over the last two and a half years – a run which has seen them lose 12 times and concede 33 goals – victory in Volos seems a tall order for Kostenoglou's side.

Team News

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Considering Greece have made a strong start to their Nations League campaign, Poyet is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup.

Sheffield United's Buckinghamshire-born right-back George Baldock, who made his international debut earlier this month, is set to retain his place, joining Konstantinos Mavropanos, Pantelis Chatzidiakos and Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas in the back four.

Celtic's Giorgos Giakoumakis is expected to continue as the lone striker ahead of Tasos Douvikas, while midfielder Andreas Bouchalakis will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI ahead of either Petros Mantalos or Dimitrios Kourbelis.

As for Cyprus, Kostenoglou is expected to stick with a 3-5-2 formation, but there could be rotation in the back three with Charalambos Kyriakou and Nikolas Panayiotou potentially replacing Fanos Katelaris and Pavlos Correa, while Alex Gogic is set to retain his place at the heart of the defence.

Striker Marinos Tzionis could return to the first XI ahead of Demetris Christofi, while Kostakis Artymatas may be joined in centre-midfield by Grigoris Kastanos and Fotios Papoulis.

Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Baldock, Mavropanos, Chatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Bouchalakis, Kourbelis; Limnios, Bakasetas, Masouras; Giakoumakis

Cyprus possible starting lineup:
Michail; Kyriakou, Gogic, Panagiotou; Pittas, Artymatas, Kastanos, Papoulis, Ioannou; Sotiriou, Tzionis

We say: Greece 2-0 Cyprus

Greece will understandably be the favourites to claim maximum points on Thursday and victory would put them in a strong position to secure promotion from League C.

Cyprus have struggled to pose a threat in front of goal so far this campaign and considering Greece's defensive resilience of late, we can see the hosts recording a routine win along with a clean sheet.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Oliver Thomas

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